Chapter 6 - A NEW BEGINNING
Six months later.
The Westchester estate was bathed in warm spring sunshine. The dark, ominous atmosphere that had once shrouded the heavy stone mansion had completely lifted, replaced by bright flowerbeds and open windows letting in the fresh morning breeze.
I stood on the back patio, wearing a simple white linen dress, watching the lawn.
Ethan and Lily were running through the grass, chasing a golden retriever puppy that Dominic had bought for Ethan's ninth birthday. Lily's laughter rang out crisp and clear across the yard, her little white sneakers kicking up bits of fresh green grass as she ran.
"They're getting fast," a smooth voice said beside me.
I turned to see Dominic stepping out onto the patio. He was dressed in a casual charcoal shirt, holding two glasses of fresh lemonade. He handed one to me.
"Thank you, Dominic," I said softly.
Over the past six months, everything had changed.
With the Valenti family permanently removed, Dominic had systematically transitioned his business holdings out of shadow logistics into legitimate international shipping and real estate infrastructure. The dangerous life he had once led was entirely in the past.
More than that, the boundaries between master and housekeeper had dissolved completely. I was no longer running his estate from the shadows; I was managing the family foundation alongside him.
Dominic leaned against the wooden railing, watching the kids play.
"Ethan asked me something this morning," Dominic said, a rare, genuine smile touching his lips.
I took a sip of lemonade. "Oh? What did he ask?"
"He asked if Lily could move into the bedroom suite next to his permanently," Dominic said, turning his head to look down at me. His grey eyes were warm, filled with a deep, unspoken affection that had grown steadily over the past year. "And he asked if you were going to stay forever."
My breath hitched slightly in my chest. "And what did you tell him?"
Dominic set his glass down on the table, taking half a step closer to me. He reached out, his large fingers gently taking my hand in his—steady, protective, and warm.
"I told him that depends on whether her mother agrees to marry me," Dominic said softly.
I stared at him, my heart skipping a beat before settling into a deep, overwhelming warmth. I looked out at the lawn, where Ethan was helping Lily up after she had tripped over the puppy, both of them laughing hysterically under the warm afternoon sun.
From a moment of terror that almost shattered our world, we had found a real home. A safe home.
I looked back up into Dominic’s eyes, squeezing his hand tightly.
May you like
"She agrees," I whispered with a smile.
Dominic smiled back—a real, radiant smile that transformed his face completely—and pulled me close into an embrace under the bright spring sky, where our new life was just beginning.
